


Moon to Moon

by Omi_Lightbearer



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Canon - Manga, Canon Compliant, Clear Card Arc (Cardcaptor Sakura), Feelings, Light Angst, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 17:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omi_Lightbearer/pseuds/Omi_Lightbearer
Summary: Nakuru and Yukito have a heart-to-heart before Yukito makes a decision that will change his and Yue's life forever. Set around the events in chapter 44 of the Clear Card manga (the Promise card) and contains spoilers -especially for anime-only fans. As canon-compliant as possible, no ooc-ness or au-ness intended. The rating may go up in later chapters.
Relationships: Kinomoto Touya/Tsukishiro Yukito, Kinomoto Touya/Yue
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Nakuru had finished washing the dishes, not that Yukito had asked her to. She said it was the least she could do, especially after he had gone out of her way to get her the sushi she had been craving since she had arrived in Japan. As he added water to the kettle, he thought, not for the first time, that it was nice to have her around. The house had felt too big for one person, and her high-spirited energy diverted his attention away from his own musings. He had been doing a great deal of thinking lately.

“I bought some _manju*_ to eat for dessert,” he announced, moving through the kitchen in order to put various utensils away.

“Ooh! I have missed Japanese sweets! Not that I am complaining about the ones in England. I make sure Eriol’s pantry is well-stocked. But confectioneries here are different. They are just—” she trailed off and made an excited gesture with her hands cupping her face as she shook her head and closed her eyes for emphasis.

“—just the right amount of sweet?” he offered. “ _Manju_ is best eaten with a cup of green tea. I suppose you go for earl grey in England?”

“We have all sorts. But I’m all in for the perfect Japanese dessert experience.” She stopped acting like the teenage girl she presented as and just smiled. “I’ve just made you snap out of it.”

“Out of—?” he blinked, confused.

“Whatever you were thinking about. You do look like you are miles away sometimes, Tsukishiro-kun, and your face becomes clouded like so,” she attempted an imitation, complete with pout and downcast eyes. Yukito was sure she was exaggerating. He couldn’t help laughing softly though. “And then you do this. You give me the all-round nice guy look and try so hard to pretend that nothing is the matter. Because you don’t want to worry me, or anyone else.”

Yukito wasn’t sure he liked the direction the conversation was going. “Tea is ready. Just sit down, Akizuki.”

“Actually, it’s lovely and warm outside. Do you think we could bring the sweets and tea on a tray with us and sit on the porch?”

“Sure thing,” he smiled, eager to please. It would do him good to breathe some fresh air too.

Yukito laid the tray down on a bamboo mat rolled over the wooden boards, and they sat on both sides of it at a comfortable distance. He looked up and took a deep sigh. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze ruffled his hair softly. The moon wasn’t quite full but would be in a couple of days. Despite not having any real power, he liked watching it. He was _of_ the moon after all, wasn’t he? More connected to it than to anything else in nature.

“This is so yummy,” Nakuru took a bite and actually squeed a little. “By the way, is Touya working the night shift today?”

Yukito’s heart skipped a beat, the way it did every time his friend was mentioned, but he tried not to let it show on his face. Judging by Nakuru’s knowing grin, he wasn’t doing a great job. “He had the closing shift at one of the restaurants.”

“One of the–? Woah, he’s still working a dozen different jobs. Is that even legal here?” She rolled her shoulders and stretched her back like a content overgrown cat.

“He makes it work. It’s Touya after all.” 

“Do you get any quality time together?”

Yukito choked on his tea and covered his mouth with his hand for a moment, trying to pull himself together. He should be used to Nakuru’s straightforwardness by now and just let things slide. Instead, he gave her a sheepish smile and held his cup tighter.

“We go to the same campus. And I work part-time sometimes, too.”

They also stayed at each other’s place quite a lot, and basically found an excuse to spend time together practically every day. But he kept that to himself.

“I promise I’m really not into him anymore, Tsukishiro-kun,” she shrugged. “I just like teasing him because he makes the cutest angry faces, doesn’t he?” She asked the question as he chewed some manju.

“He does,” Yukito answered. “And he teases me all the time, so it’s good to get some payback.”

In the past, he had been afraid. He had pretended not to notice Nakuru’s blatant advances on Touya, but there had always been that gnawing doubt creeping in and lurking at the back of his mind. Would Touya start hanging out with a girl instead? Woud he date one? Only later did he realize that his fear was totally unfounded. Touya saved him and his other self by giving them all the power he had, draining himself to exhaustion. It was a gift Yukito didn’t think he would ever be able to repay other than by loving him fiercely every second of every day.

And yet it wasn’t enough. Yukito was frustrated at his own helplessness. It was some relief that Yue could do something, but what about himself? What about Yukito? Was he meant to be just a shell for a more perfect, more useful being? Was he to be pushed aside when things got serious? And that was happening now, judging by the mysterious events unfolding in Sakura’s life.

He didn’t realize he’d been lost in thought until Nakuru spoke, much more softly than she used to. “Something is troubling you. I promise to be quiet and listen if you need me to. After all, we two are a bit alike, Tsukishiro-kun.” She glanced meaningfully upwards, at the moon.

She was a moon creature, too, but there weren’t two different beings within her. There was no ongoing negotiation nor compromise. How could she understand the struggle? But she was right in one respect. He wanted to say the things he never said. He had been yearning to put them into words.

He took a long sip of tea just to feel its comforting warmth and averted his eyes, gazing at his garden instead. “My love can’t do anything for him. I can’t shoulder part of the burden. What good am I, then? I keep asking these questions to myself and I don’t have an answer. I don’t think the other me would be able to answer, either, but I can’t even ask.”

“I don’t think Yue even has the answers he seeks himself. And he’s rather cryptic,” she said, waving her hand emphatically. “But you are certain you love Touya, aren’t you?”

He looked at her, surprised that this was the bit of information she was choosing to focus on. Surely she knew that.

“He’s the person I love most in the world.”

He had confessed that same thing to Sakura what felt like ages ago. It was the first time he had spoken it out loud, and he knew it to be true. Somehow his feelings had deepened since then, and they burned white-hot. He felt them flaring up now, as if stoked by an invisible hand.

“But what is it that you love about him? Is it the fact that he helped you stay alive?” The question was asked without unkindness, and even if it pulled at his heartstrings, he felt it had to be answered.

Yukito turned his head to meet Nakuru’s inquisitive eyes. She looked more serious than he had ever seen her, as if she were sizing him up for the first time. 

“I love the way he curls his arm when he sleeps, like he’s trying to protect someone. And then at some point his brow unfurrows and he looks at ease, with a small knowing smile on his lips. Because To-ya always nows, even if he doesn’t say.” He pronounced his name softly, just like he did when speaking to him. He couldn’t say it any other way. “I love it that he cares so much and pretends not to. I love it that he sometimes stops pretending, with me. I love it when he touches me for no reason, even if it’s just to tease me and laugh about it afterwards. I l-love it–” his voice cracked just a little and he took a deep breath before continuing, “that he’s made a mental list of all the foods I like and learnt to cook every single dish, but acts like it’s no big deal. I love the way he makes the world better by existing in it. And yes, since you mention it, I love him for putting my well-being above his own when he shouldn’t have. When I have no power to repay him with.”

Only when he stopped did he realize his eyes had teared up. He took off his glasses and wiped them with his sleeve self-consciously before putting them on again. Nakuru offered him another confection and he gobbled it up because it was better than crying.

“I didn’t doubt you love him. But I think we’ve just found out what is bothering you,” she said wistfully. “I worry that you really think he wants to be repaid. That doesn’t add up considering everything else you’ve said, you know.”

“You are right. But there must be something I can do. I want to help him and Sakura with whatever is going on.” The thought struck him then. He had been toying with the idea for some time but somehow he had dreaded doing it alone. If he had a friend by his side, however… “Akizuki. _Ruby Moon_ ,” he said, uttering that name for the first time. “Will you help me?”

“As long as it causes no trouble for Eriol or Sakura, of course,” she said with a smile. “You got it.”

“Thank you.” He felt some relief. His tea had gone cold but he drank the last of it. “All I have left to do is ask him.”

“Touya?”

“Yue.”

~ ~ ~

* _Manju_ is a traditional Japanese confection or wagashi. It is a steamed cake filled with a sweet red bean filling (anko). I just love it! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yukito has a plan but what does Yue think? Yukito and Touya have a lovely mini-break at the bakery.

“I have no desire to be companionable like Yukito,” Yue said. “And I am not up for cross-examination, Ruby Moon.”

“How mean. And here I was looking forward to some moon to moon conversation.”

Yue kept his guard up most of the time, but his fellow moon guardian got on his nerves even more than Kerberos, which was no easy feat. Yet it had felt wrong to ignore her request to show himself considering that for some reason Yukito had confided in her a few hours earlier. She was also here to help support him magically while Syaoran had the original cards and Sakura’s power was unstable, so putting up with her for a bit was the least he could do. Or so he told himself.

“Tsukishiro has told you, hasn’t he? That he’s planning to do something about his lack of power. What is it exactly?”

“I know it involves the Tsukimine shrine. You will learn soon enough. He wants you to go with him.”

Ruby Moon shrugged and stretched her arms dramatically; her butterfly wings fluttered twice. They were sitting on top of Yukito’s roof in the middle of the night. Yue had just read and replied to Yukito’s message but it bothered him more than he would ever admit.

_I need to be there for them, just like you are. So we can both do our best to protect the ones we love. But I want to know what you think because you know magic and you know what it might entail._

And there was more.

_I want a role to play. It isn’t fair or right to be asleep when the important things are happening._

Yue knew well that Yukito didn’t want power for power’s sake. He didn’t want to achieve anything for himself or even keep himself safe. But he didn’t know how dangerous it could be to get involved.

“What was your answer?” she eyed him curiously. “Surely you didn’t forbid it.”

“Yukito has free will,” Yue said, a bit more icily than necessary. The next words were uttered more calmly. “He is his own person and he believes he is doing the right thing. He hasn’t made this decision overnight, and I’m not standing in his way.”

“And if there are consequences?”

“We’ll deal with them.”

“And Touya?” she asked, adding to his uneasiness.

Yue looked away, trying to think of anything _but_ Touya, which wasn’t an easy feat because Touya had been on his mind quite a lot recently.

“What about Touya?” He was on his guard now, making sure all his walls were in place.

What about Touya indeed. Touya was strong, smart, and fiercely protective; he was also secretive and could come off as aloof if you didn’t know him –something he could relate to. But Yue knew not only the Touya that was very fond of Yukito, but also the Touya that hadn’t batted an eyelid when Yukito had transformed into someone else and had instead offered them his assistance at a great cost to himself. Yue was puzzled every time Touya talked to him like it was a natural thing to do, and every time he said that he and Yukito were the same –what did he mean, anyway? Was it their hearts that were similar, or was it his feelings towards them?

“Never mind. It’s written on your face,” Ruby Moon grinned the trademark Akizuki grinned –those two really were the same, to be sure, whether winged or wingless. “I hope this will work out for all of you. Things are surely getting interesting.”

“It’s Sakura I’m concerned about,” he said simply.

“I don’t think it’s illegal to care for more than one person. I know I do. And your young master certainly does.”

That was a valid point, but still. Yukito’s consciousness was separate from his own and he had no access to Yue’s thoughts. But what would happen if that changed? What would Yukito think if he so much as caught a glimpse of his innermost thoughts and feelings? Yue’s memories would become an open book for him to read; the bittersweet memories of the past he’d held on to for the longest time wouldn’t be only his anymore. Yukito would learn about Clow Reed and his broken heart. And, even more importantly, he would see that Yue’s longing for a certain young man mirrored his own.

Yue cared but he didn’t want to interfere. He was afraid but he couldn’t put it into words. He could only trust his other self and wait. He closed his eyes for a moment and then took off, leaving Ruby Moon below. 

_Do as you please_. That was what he had written on Yukito’s notebook.

*

Yukito was reassured by the answer he found the following morning, even if he had been expecting a longer explanation. The few things he knew about his other self’s personality he had learnt from Kero-chan, and it was clear the two guardians shared a strong brotherly bond but didn’t exactly get along well. He did know that Yue was quiet and a bit of an introvert, two traits that Yukito understood but ony shared to a certain extent. Giving a full explanation was what Yukito had done, but perhaps it was wrong of him to ask the same of Yue.

He headed to campus for his two morning lessons, after which he met Touya for a quick lunch before their afternoon shift at the bakery. Although he’d made up his mind, a million thoughts kept racing through his head, and he did his best to prevent his friend from noticing that he was slightly uneasy.

“Save room for dessert,” Touya said, and Yukito snapped out of it. Apparently he had been eating on autopilot.

He blinked confusedly and looked at his packed lunch. “I didn’t bring–”

Touya was smiling, and Yukito thought he could probably outshine the sun. “The owner said he’d have you try some of the new confections today. He relies on your fondness for sweets.”

“It’s nice to be dependable, I guess?” Yukito smiled back. Perhaps Touya had caught on to his mood, no matter how hard he’d been trying to act normal. He knew Yukito well enough to bring up food or the prospect of it as a suitable distraction. There were questions on his handsome face, but it could have also been Yukito’s imagination because they were gone in the blink of an eye.

“I’m surprised Akizuki isn’t around.”

“Our lesson schedule isn’t the same. I’ll see her later on today, after my shift.”

“I still expect her to pop up swinging from a tree branch head down or something,” Touya grimaced. “How are you getting along? She can be pushy.”

“I think she’s a nicer person than you give her credit for. I don’t mind her liveliness at all.”

“If you say so...”

It was true. Yukito wasn’t bothered by her presence anymore. Their talk the previous night had helped. She was a better listener than anyone, including Touya, would guess. He could keep her as a flatmate of sorts as long as he still got to spend time with Touya alone, which luckily would be the case that day.

Working was no trouble at all when they were together, and the sweets shop was Yukito’s favourite workplace for obvious reasons. Kiyishima-san, the owner, was a good-natured middle-aged man who loved buying ingredients and baking both traditional Japanese and Western desserts, but left the heavy lifting and customer service to younger staff. They typically worked there two afternoons or evenings a week. Tasty food and Touya in the same physical space was Yukito’s idea of a marvellous time.

The after-school hours were pretty busy, with schoolboys and girls coming in to buy a treat, and Yukito welcomed the action. He greeted customers and made sure every cake was perfectly packaged and handed out. After six things quietened down and he and Touya went to the back of the shop to handle late deliveries and restock shelves.

“Here,” Touya said, practically shoving a small, rather cute macaron into his face. It was a familiar gesture but it still gave Yukito butterflies. The fact that they were alone in a narrow room and his friend had chosen that exact moment to feed him something certainly didn’t help. He could feel his eyes widening and his heart racing as he parted his lips, and time seemed to stand still. He was suddenly aware of everything: Touya’s fingers lingering longer than they had to, the warmth of his body, the air pulled taut and thicker than it had any right to be between them.

It dawned on Yukito then. If his wish came true, he would never _know_. Should he develop some powers of his own, how could he be sure that it was not that invisible gravitational force that pulled Touya in like a magnet? True, Touya had stuck around after giving up his powers to Yue and becoming unable to feel anything extraordinary. _But lately he has been regaining some, hasn’t he?_ The thought made Yukito dizzy for a split second but the sudden vertigo was replaced by something else, the determination to just make sure that they had something. That they _were_ something at that moment in time, in that very place, because he didn’t know what tomorrow might bring.

And it was so very easy to do it. He took the macaron without using his hands, of course, and made sure to brush his lips against Touya’s extended finger. The surprise in Touya’s face and the fact he didn’t move an inch let Yukito know that he had the upper hand. And so Yukito took one step closer and met his dark gaze with warm, inviting eyes. Then the world turned upside down and stopped spinning when strong arms wrapped around his waist and he rested his cheek on Touya’s shoulder as he savoured the confection.

“Yuki–” Touya’s voice trailed off and Yukito wasn’t sure if he was going to add anything else. But it was good enough. It was perfect. The nickname was uttered like it was something precious, and Yukito was sure he could hear Touya’s heart keeping pace with his own. 

After what felt like minutes, Yukito remembered where they were and what they were doing, and laughed once shyly, taking a step back. But Touya reached for his wrist. “Are you not hungry still?” he asked, and there was a new nuance to his teasing and a fierceness to his touch that sent blood rushing in all the wrong directions, making Yukito blush.

“I’m peckish, now that you mention it.”

Touya fed him two more chocolate vanilla macarons with a slightly shaky hand and this time Yukito tried to behave. At some point his friend heaved a sigh that sounded like he had not been breathing for a while and had just remembered to do so. Yukito chuckled softly and moved aside to continue his task. He had the reassurance he needed. This was what they _were_ , and they could become so much more.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, writing a hug has never been this hot. And if you are wondering why they didn't even kiss... well, they are Japanese and Touya is really shy deep down and not very forthcoming with his feelings. They'll get round to it. (?)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of the events at Tsukimine shrine and Yukito coming face to face with Yue.

Touya had a night shift at a diner and, when they parted later that evening, Yukito met Nakuru on his way to the grocery store. He felt resolved to try his best. Much like Sakura, who was inspiring to keep around, he felt that everything would turn out for the best if he tried his hardest. The moon was beautitully white and round in the sky and somehow he trusted _it_ –wasn’t that an odd thing to feel?

“Tsukimine shrine,” Nakuru said when they stopped right at the entrance.

“Will you come in with me for a while? Even though there is something I must do alone.”

She nodded once and they walked slowly under the torii gate. Soon they came up to the sacred tree, leaves rustling in the gentle breeze. Yukito was surprised that Nakuru could actually be quiet for so long; she looked thoughtful and he could have sworn her skin glowed a little so that she was visible in the darkness.

“Are we headed for the pond?”

“If you could wait for me there,” he said with a smile. “I have to stop at the _haidan_.”

“Tsukishiro-kun.” She was frowning, and that caught him a little off-guard. “Just don’t be reckless, all right?”

“Thank you.” It was all he could say because that was a promise he couldn’t make.

As he walked to the purification fountain, he wondered how his other self was feeling. Whether he liked the place, and his face would glow like Akizuki’s did. He was done being in the dark. He was not afraid of the things he couldn’t understand, not anymore.

He had the shrine all to himself and took his time going through the prayer rituals. After making his offering and ringing the bell, he opened his heart to the sacred moon spirits and made his wish. Awareness. The power to protect. The ability to make a difference. He saw himself with his mind’s eye, a white figure in the dark, shielding his loved ones.

_Moonchild. This we can do. This you can have. But what will you give?_

There was no one around but he could still hear the words breathed in his ear in a gentle singsong female voice. Still he wasn’t afraid. He kept his eyes closed and whispered his response.

“What can I give?”

_Great power comes at a price._

A second voice joined the first. _Will you give up your precious love?_

Yukito swallowed hard and a sudden feeling of dread made his heart lurch. That was surely too much. He thought of Touya and how he measured time by his presence and absence, like tides rising and ebbing under the moon.

“It is my love that moves me to do this. Can I make a vow instead?”

_An unbreakable promise will do nicely_. _But it will bind you for as long as you live_.

Yukito knew that he wouldn’t want to be alive if he couldn’t make good on this particular promise. The fear dissipated once more. Instead he thought of their bicycle rides to high school along the cherry tree-lined road. He thought of quiet evenings spent studying together and surreptitiously glancing at one another over the books; Touya would clear his throat or look pointedly away whenever their eyes met. And he thought of the Kinomoto family dinners he was always welcomed to join, with Sakura-chan trying too hard to bake dessert, and Kero-chan doing his best to steal some. _His family_. Fate and some long-dead sorcerer may have had a hand in it, but they were the family he had become part of on his own.

His mind was made up.

*

At first, Yukito felt no different, but as he retraced his steps and moved away from the offering hall he felt his skin prickle and grew more aware of his surroundings. The tips of his fingers were glowing by the time he reached the pond, and yet the power didn’t feel alien to him. Akizuki had transformed and was perching on a tree branch, staring intently at him, but he paid her no mind for the time being. He looked down at his own reflection on the still water, rippling right underneath the full moon, and for a moment the image shifted to show him a long-haired, winged man –his other self.

“Nice to meet you, Yue,” he said softly. Even after the face on the mirror-like surface became his own once again, he had a keen awareness of someone else with him, or rather, _within_ , trying to be quiet so as not to overwhelm him. It was a considerate thing to do, and Yukito smiled. “Let us get along.”

Tendrils of raw power coursed through his body, hot and cold, compassionate but fierce.

“It worked, huh?” the pink-haired version of Nakuru said, and he looked up.

“Is it easy to tell?” he opened and closed his hand, mesmerized by the way the light shifted.

“They will find you out. Mark my words.”

_Yes_ , he thought, _they probably will. But that can’t be helped._ He simply smiled.

“What did they want in exchange?”

“Nothing that I couldn’t give. Don’t worry.”

He gazed up at the sky. He had expected to feel confused, or at odds with himself, but instead he was filled with a sense of wistful peacefulness. Using this magic would be second nature to him; he had no doubts in that regard. The question was, would it be enough?

He must have spaced out because he got startled when Nakuru appeared right by his side sporting her human hair and clothes again.

“Tsukishiro-kun, there is one thing I really want,” she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

“A-Akizuki-san?” He braced himself for some wild request.

“Omurice! With that spicy ketchup we bought.” She emphasised her words with her trademark cutesy gesture.

“It does sound good,” he grinned, relieved. “It’s past dinnertime so let’s go.”

*

_You will be bound to Touya Kinomoto._

_We already are._

The words spoken at the shrine echoed in the scenery unfolding within Yukito’s dream that night. It didn’t feel like a dream at all. He saw the now familiar sun, star, and moon symbols, and zoomed in on the latter, outlined in silver against a dark blue background.

“You said _we_.” He recognized the voice even though they had never spoken, and was not surprised when a white beacon of light took the shape of his other self.

“It felt like the truth. Forgive me for bringing you into this,” he said. He couldn’t see his own body; he was somehow drifting, suspended in mid-air. But it wasn’t frightening.

“I have a binding magical contract with my master.” Yue spoke calmly, arms folded against his chest. Yukito couldn’t help but wondering what Touya thought of such unearthly beauty. Their voice was the same, wasn’t it? With a slightly different pitch. 

“You can care for more than one person.” The words came to him naturally and felt right.

Yue looked taken aback, pale eyes wide open.

“He said we are the same, you and I, even if we are obviously not. I am wondering if that is what he meant.”

“To-ya did?”

Yukito touched solid ground at last, his bare feet on a dark glass surface, so that he was at eye level with Yue.

“He didn’t mean our personalities. I don’t think he knows _me_.” There was some regret to this statement that Yukito was quick to pick up. “But we wish to protect the same people.”

“You could let him know you.”

Apparently, Yue was the sort who tried to conceal his emotions but ended up wearing his heart on his sleeve. He was now looking at Yukito as if he had lost his mind. Yukito found it amusing. He had almost expected to feel jealous, but he didn’t.

“I should let you sleep. I thought this was a good way for us to speak. I wouldn’t want to intrude into your life.” Yue heaved a dramatic sigh.

“Yue-san. You are part of my life. You _belong_ in it. We came into being at the same time and we have chosen the ones we love freely. Whatever power I have now, I trust I can share with you. I hope I will be able to use it in a way we both agree on.”

“You are generous. Won’t you regret your decisions?”

The question was vague and Yukito wondered which decision Yue was talking about. Getting into a magical contract? Sharing power? Everything involving Touya?

“I guess we’ll have to see. But I’ve made them from the heart.” He smiled and Yue gave a single nod, looking pensive.

The scenery around him faded and Yukito was in his bed once again, awake and staring into the darkness. He would see Touya in the afternoon the following day and his heart beat faster at the thought like it always did. The fundamental things about him had not changed. And yet, he was different. He had vowed to protect Touya Kinomoto and his loved ones with all his might. Which, he suspected, was considerable now.

To be continued ~ 

**Author's Note:**

> Nakuru/Ruby Moon is consistently referred to as "she/her" in this fanfic. This is because, although she is said to be a genderless/non-binary creature, she chooses to present and dress as a female.  
> 


End file.
